The Imprint Chronicles
by KiwiPants
Summary: Welcome to The Imprint Chronicles, A series of one-shots that capture the moments of various wolves and their very significant others. Check 'em out
1. Countless

_OOPSIE! I meant to upload this one first... and I think I did but replaced it by accident. Sorry, I'm new at this! _

**Welcome to The Imprint Chronicles, A series of one-shots that capture the moments of various wolves and their (very) significant others. I plan on doing quite a few of these because sometimes a scene just pops into my head and it doesn't belong in any of my stories and then it ends up on paper. **

**I disclaim: All Characters that you recognize belong to SM. But I have a few in there and they like to talk to me so please don't steal them :)**

**I'm starting TIC's with the first one I wrote because I think it's my strongest one and I really like it. Ryan, the eldest Uley son escapes his responsibilities as a wolf and potential alpha by applying to Florida State without his parent's consent and moving the day after graduation... which they don't really agree with. He finally mans up and comes back home after he has no reason to stay away and becomes _reacquainted_ with an old _friend_, Lena Rivers, Paul and Rachel's eldest daughter. So, without further au du, Ryan Alec Uley and Lena Noel Rivers. R&R, por favor =)**

I was exhausted. And it wasn't just from jet-lag. I hadn't realized how exhausing living the college-frat boy/marine/werewolf/cop life had become. I was going to miss it, yeah, but I also missed Sammy and Leila and Jason and all of my friends and the rest of the pack.

I wasn't supposed to go to college - drinking till I puked and having seven girlfriends at once and doing some drug/sexual experimentation - I was supposed to stay in La Push and become the next Alpha and imprint and have little wolf-babies and that's just the way it was supposed to fucking happen. But I had never been one to do what he was supposed to do, so when Dad flipped out about me being accepted into Florida State, I packed and used my life savings to get the hell out. I had spoken to Mom a lot; she hadn't flipped at all. She was sad I was leaving but she understood. She had wanted to go to college too; she had never wanted to be the girl who got married right out of high school to the boy next door and start poppin' them out. I talked a lot to Leila and Sammy too but never to Dad.

So, back to my point, I hadn't talked to Samuel Joshua Uley Sr. in four years all because I got accepted into college and didn't imprint. How fucked up was that? He was being totally irrational about it. Maybe if I had given him some warning instead of just springing it on him... But that's besides the point. He was the one that freaked out, not me.

I got my bachelors and joined the military, toured South America for a while, came back to Florida and entered the Police Academy. So now I'm a cop/marine/warewolf. Awesome combo, eh? I was all of this kind of intimidating stuff and I was hesitant (caugh-terrified-caugh) to walk up the front steps of my childhood home and greet my family. I had put it off way too long anyway; I'd been in town for two weeks, well, in Forks, but still in the Pacific Northwest and I hadn't come back to visit. Everyone still thought I was in Florida.

I wasn't paying attention one day, just driving around town, testing out my new jeep, when I accidently drove into La Push by habit. I had made it all the way to the docks when I finally realized I needed to get the fuck out but it was too late. Billy Black (probably rolling himself home from my house) had spotted me and that old man new exactly who everyone was, even if they _have_ been gone for a good four years. So I drove him home and then, of all the times that Sammy needed to be at Seth's house, he was there and spotted me pulling out of the driveway.

I loved my little brother (I was all of one minute and thirty-seven seconds older) but he had this thing about him where once he got something stuck in his head, he wasn't going to let it go. We call it stubbornness and it's apparently a Uley Family trait. I had two days. Forty-eight freaking hours, he gave me, to come to the house because Sammy didn't have to patrol for the next two days and once he phased he would spill all. There was no negotiating, no flexibility when it came to Samuel Joshua Uley Jr.

So I sat in the stupid motel room in Forks and had a mental screaming match with myself about what to say. I could apologize, I could give him the cold shoulder, I could ignore him, I could act like nothing happened, I could run again, I could punch him in the face, I could could come at a time when he was conveniently out or at work... There were so many possibilities.

No matter how I sliced it, this was going to suck. Mom was going to cry and insist we have a coming home party, Leila was going to be all grown up with - gulp - _breasts_, and Sammy was probably going to go hangout with all of the people he made friends with when I split, and all of my old friends are going to be all over me about why I didn't keep in touch and the pack was going to be their normal, obnoxious selves. It sufficed to say that I was not excited for this. But I was back and I needed to be a man.

Leaping lightly up the steps, I entered the foyer. It smelled like... _home_. There's absolutely no way to describe how your own home smells. But there was something else in with it. It was fruity and sharp, kind of like kiwi's and mangos yet citrusy like an orange. I liked it. I didn't think anything of it, of course, but I should've. I walked into the kitchen, expecting mom being the one heartbeat in the room, but I was met with the most breathtaking woman I have ever seen. She turned at my sharp intake of breathe and I was hit hard with her eyes, a striking green, and her overall beauty. She was captvating, shy yet so capable of drawing me in. I had no idea who she was, none at all, but she obviously belonged here, mixing juice in a piture in my mothers kitchen with her small, delicate hands.

I didn't know how to react at all, so I just stared awestruck at her. She broke into a grin when she squinted a little and recognized me.

"Ryan! You're back! When did you- never mind, it doesn't matter, I just can't believe you're home!" She ran over and hugged me tight around the middle. It knocked the wind out of me and I had to fight off tears as she laid her head against my abdomen, it felt so amazing.

It was _that_ bad. I mean, I heard it was bad, but this was horrible. _Imprinting_. I was overwhelmed, my body knowing how to react without my brain telling it to, I hugged her back. She lifted her head and stepped back all to soon. I spotted a beautiful little beauty mark near her nose and I knew who she was immediately.

Lena Noel Rivers.

Dear God, help me. Every memory, every recollection, every encounter filled my thoughts. How had I not seen her until now? Not only had I not seen her, but I had _ignored_ her. She took one look at my gobsmacked expression and her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Oh dear..." she said and then she swayed slighlty in her spot. I was at her side immediately, gripping her by the elbows.

"Lena! Are you okay?"

"I'm wonderful," she giggled a little breathlessly. Her soft warm skin felt good in my hands so I didn't let go. "Are you aware of what just happened?" She asked, all traces of giddiness gone like she suddenly realized something absolutely horrifying.

"Um... yes?" I wasn't sure what the correct answer was.

"Then I am so, so sorry," she sighed as tears started to well in her eyes. My heart broke. Literally tore in half and started ripping into shreds.

"What No! I don't unders-"

"I'm so sorry that you're stuck with me. That must be horrible. _I_ don't even like being stuck with me. We'll have to figure out a way to stop this. Maybe I should go." Her voice shook and I was a little concerned about her mental health. _Stuck_ with her? More like lucky to even be in the same room as her.

"No! Don't go... I mean, please... please don't go." I breathed. Where had my ability to speak gone? A few tears slipped from her eyes and I automatically let go of one her arms to wipe it away. Her heart rate accelerated and panic was written across her face. "What's wrong?" I asked immediately.

"This is completely unfair to you. And-and you're going to realize that and I'm going to be back to square one. I need to go, Ryan." When she said my name again, I nearly exploded. But she couldn't go. I loved her. I _loved_ her.

"No. You can't go." She already knew why. Why was she fighting this?

"I-I need to," she stuttered out and tried to walk away but I was still holding her by one arm. I pulled her back to me and caught her by the waist. Her breathing hitched and her heart rate accelerated once more.

"You don't need to go. Don't go." I didn't care what we would do if she stayed but she couldn't leave. I'd follow her to the ends of the earth; she couldn't escape me.

"I'm not... I'm not one of - I can't give you. You wouldn't understand." She said looking panicked. Her anxiety was putting my nerves on overdrive and I'm sure my face now mirrored hers.

"Maybe not but might as well give it a shot. Tell me, Lena." I liked the way her name rolled off of my tongue. _Lena, Lena, Lena_.

"I'm not one of those girls, Ryan. Remember the ones you dated in high school, when you ignored me? Remember the pretty ones and sometimes the beautiful ones? I can't..." That's what she was worried about? She wasn't _beautiful_?

"Yeah, you're right. You're not beautiful. You're gorgeous, amazing, unbelievable. You're perfect. Don't ever doubt that." She looked a little stunned and I was moving a little fast but it didn't matter because I had her in my arms.

I had ignored the bookworm in high school, I had acted like I didn't know her, like we weren't part of this close knit circle and that she wasn't one of my best friends in the past. I acted like we hadn't even met; she wasn't one of the people I said goodbye to when I had left. I didn't know... I couldn't have possibly known. But that didn't make me any less of an asshole. I had the urge to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry." That's all I could think of to say.

"It's... I don't know yet. I need to go. " She had _almost_ said 'i'ts okay' but she didn't. She was so close, her voice had a forgiving conviction about it but she didn't follow through.

I didn't deserve her but that didn't stop me from wanting her. I wanted her to want me, more importantly. I wanted to erase the past, undo it and make different decisions. The first day of freshman year, when she came to sit next to me in English with her glasses and braces and wild hair and old clothes, I wish I had stayed. I wish I had ignored what my football friends had been saying about her. I wish I had told them to shut the fuck up about one of my best friends instead of making fun of her as well._ I wish, I wish, I wish_...

Wishing wasn't going to do anything, contrary to Cinderella's belief. I needed to show her, make her understand that this was real and serious. I didn't have an argument, though, because imprinting isn't natural or real; it's intense and extraordinary and could quite possibly hold great potential. But it wasn't natural and I knew that would be her argument: that I wouldn't look twice if it wasn't for some stupid mythical bond.

So now I stood in the kitchen, dumbfounded and staring at the hands that had just let her go. Mom came in suddenly and dropped a vase full of flowers on the floor. I didn't have the capacity to even look at her, I just continued to look at my hands like a jackass.

"Ryan!" I looked up at her and then back down at her hands. "What's the matter?" She knew something was wrong. I couldn't seem to make my voice work. Might be the whole 'brain shutting down without imprint nearby' thing... "I know that look," she whispered. I didn't register her hands on my face or the big footsteps coming down the hall.

"Sam... he.. he-" she didn't get to finish because Dad walked in, took one look at his first born and the look on my face on broke into a wild grin. Now _that_ I fucking registered; somethings just run that deep. I growled at him and put my hands down. His grin disappeared. He looked down and I wasn't sure what that meant or why my father looking a little sheepish made me feel like an asshole.

We stood silently for a few more tense moments before I could think of anything to say. "I imprinted." And my mind drifted quickly back to Lena._ Lena, Lena, Lena._

"I know."

"I'm so proud of you, baby," Mom whispered as she ran her hands through my hair and kissed my cheek, true to her nature, like it was something that I could help - like it was a big accomplishment.

"We need to talk, son." I don't know why, but those words felt really good. I hadn't been called 'son' in a long time, it felt. My dad hadn't looked that proud of me in a long time. I felt sick at the thought of me liking that he was proud because I had _imprinted_. Yet still happy he was proud. Emotions are fucked up.

"Okay." What else was I supposed to say? He lead me into the living room and I sat in my favorite arm chair while he took the love seat. I could hear Mom busying herself in the kitchen, a nervous habit.

"I uh. I'm... I don't," he stuttered out. Dad was never good at the whole 'talking and expressing emotions' thing. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I'm sorry I let this happen, I'm sorry I haven't talked to you and I'm sorry I acted like such an..."

"Asshole?" I supplied.

"Yeah." Those words: _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. _They felt nice.

"I'm sorry too. I should've discussed it with you. That was pretty stupid of me to just make that decision on my own."

"But look at what you've done Ryan, you're in the force and you joined the army - how'd you do that, by the way?" I knew he'd be curious about that, it's not like werewolves have normal blood and pee and other bodily fluids.

"It was expensive."

"I see. I want you to know that I'm not just proud of you right now because you imprinted. It's also because of what you've become. A soldier, a _marine_, an officer. You went to college and you made something of yourself, Ryan. And I am proud to call you my son." It was my turn to look down. For all of the bashing I did, my dad was a pretty cool guy, especially when he said stuff like that.

"Thank you, Dad. I'm proud to call you my dad." I didn't know what else to say. I was proud, right now, to call Samuel Joshua Uley Sr. my father. It felt good, to have some type of positive feeling associated with my dad. So we sat and bonded for a few moments, letting the feeling sink in. It was good, this new feeling. It felt like everything was... lighter, in a sense. Easier to breathe, the air wasn't thick with anxiety and apprehension.

"So tell me about it. Your life, I mean. Mom tells me but I want to hear it first hand." I wanted to, I really did, but I needed to go because now that this was resolved there was no more time left for this.

"I'd love to sit and chat but I have to go convince my imprint that I'm not an asshole anymore and that she's amazing. No big deal, right?" He snorted and wished me luck.

"Who is it, by the way?"

"Lena, Lena Rivers." He sucked in a deep breath through his teeth.

"Good luck. Don't screw it up too bad, alright. Your mother will kill you." I smiled at the memory of Dad telling me about his disaster of an imprint one time.

"Thanks, I'll try not to keep up a traditon, alright?"

"Yeah, that'd be bad. Don't do that. Go get'em tiger!" I laughed and he clapped me on the back before making his way into the kitchen to go distract Mom from her duties. Ew...

I didn't really know where to start. What the hell does a twenty-three year old werewolf do when his imprint was tormented by him in high school and now hates him? You go find Jared Taylor, that's what you do. Uncle Jared has a way of making everything become clear, even stupid things. So I ran swiftly through the woods that lead to Aunt Kim and Uncle Jared's and landed on the porch in a matter of seconds.

"Unlce Jay!" I yelled through the house as I knocked on the door.

"Ryan?" Aiden called from the livingroom as Max, their big old dog ran to me. I patted him on the head and he was content so I took that as my okay to go into the house.

"'Sup A-Man?" I greeted him with what I could guess was a distracted smile.

"'Sup A-Man?' is all I get. Dude, are you serious?" I looked at him this time, really looked. He was huge, indicating that he had joined the pack. I launched myself at him and hugged him.

"Oh, Aiden! I've missed you so much. I simply can't bare it!" I recited in true to form Jackass-Ryan. He laughed and pushed me off of him.

"Alright point taken, jerk."

"Great. Now where's your dad?"

"Jason's gonna be so pissed that you didn't ask for him first." I was getting impatient.

"Aiden, focus!"

"Right. Uhm... work? Out? With Mom? Pick one."

"How 'bout you tell me where he is before I kick your ass?"

"I could take you now, I bet."

"Aiden!'

"Alright! He's grocery shopping with my mom. You can't cut in on their special time!" He called after me but I was already headed toward the one grocery store in La Push. I felt like I was wasting time but I didn't want to mess this up. Lord knows I was probably screwed from the beginning.

I headed into the small supermarket and sniffed a few times not-so-disretly. I followed my nose and ended up in the cereal isle where Uncle Jared was thinking very hard about a box of Captain Crunch and Raisin Bran.

"Take both and hide the Captain Crunch, she'll never know." I said as I walked down the aisle. He turned his head quickly and looked a little stunned.

"Ryan?" He sniffed once and then smiled in a true wolf-like manor, relaxing once recognizing my scent. He pulled me into one of those man-hugs and clapped me on the back. "When did you get back? How the hell have you been?"

"Um, yesterday and good. I have a situation, though."

"Okay..."

"Uhm. I imprinted and... she hates me."

"Congratulations! I don't think she hates you." He gave me a disproving look that said he didn't beleive me.

"No. I'm serious."

"Who is she."

"Lena."

"Oh boy..." That did not sound good at all.

"Why 'Oh boy'?" I asked slightly hysterical.

"Besides the fact that Paul's gonna flip? Besides the fact that you were a total asshole to her in high school? Besides the fact that she's engaged?" Oh boy was right. Engaged. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Paul was going to try and kill me but that I could handle. I think I might beg him to kill me, actually. "You okay?" He asked as I began to wobble slightly, letting this hit me full in the chest.

"No." And then I turned and ran out of the store quickly.

I followed my nose towards her apartment on the west side of the rez., taking shortcuts through the woods and ending up at the door. I knocked three times but no one answered. The door wasn't locked so I pushed it open and breathed in deep. Dear God it was intoxicating.

I looked around, noting the beautiful furnishing and colors. The living room was done in a soft brown and light blue with many art pieces covering the wall. The kitchen was in light wood and a light green color. I looked at the many photographs and artworks. There was a wall of pictures in the living room and I walked over to them, memorizing Lena's posture and her body language, her outfits and her facial expression. She looked happy but distant.

Directly in the middle of the wall of photos were two small photographs taken the summer before freshman year at a Fourth of July party hosted at the Rivers' house. There were two, one underneath the other. The first one was of Lena and I sitting together. I had my arm around her shoulder and we were sitting on top of a picnic table looking up at the camera. The one underneath was of me kissing Lena's cheek as she laughed. We looked so happy. We _were_ happy before I went and screwed up one of the best things. I ran my hand over the glass and felt an overwhelming surge of despair. How was I going to fix this?

I turned and stopped looking at the picture, not liking the feeling it was giving me. I sniffed and walked in the direction of her scent. That overpowering mango citrusy smell. I loved it. And then I heard the featherlight heart-beat. I didn't have the best hearing out of the pack but still, it was so light. Like more of a fluttering than an actual beat. I knocked on the door that the breathing and the heartbeat were coming from. There was a squeak and then some shuffling before Lena suddenly appeared in the door.

"What are you doing here?" She was slightly out if breath, and her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks shining with moisture. She had been crying. Over me, I assumed.

"I'm sorry." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I couldn't find the words. "I'm so incredibly sorry."

"I know how it works, Ryan." That stung. She knows - she _thinks - _that she wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't imprinted on her. She needed to know that it was fate.

"No, no you don't. I don't think you understand. You know that theory that my dad has, the one that says the reason for imprinting is to find our genetically matched mate that will reproduce the strongest wolves?" She nodded so I continued. "Well I think he's full of shit. On more than this, but that's not the point." She chuckled a little and wiped her eyes. "I think that it's fate and karma. Fate because everything happens for a reason. It may not be a good reason, but a reason nonetheless. And I think it's Karma because all of the wolves that I know and all of their imprints deserve each other. Whether it's because one needed the other or because they were just good together." She looked a little confused.

"Like take Embry and Kayleigh. He was messed up and Kayleigh's like a rock and he... latched on. And she pulled him out of that black hole that he was in. He was drowning in himself and she saved him. He's a great person and she's a great person and he deserved to to have some help and she deserved to have him." Did she get that?

"Oh," she didn't seemed enlightened at all.

"And Seth and Lily! Seth is one of the best guys that I know and everybody loves Lily and they're just perfect for each other. And Jared and Kim. Kim needed him. And her deserved her. They lean on each other, they're part of each other." I was sucking at this. Couldn't she just understand? She looked contemplative. And then she nodded, a hard look replacing the glassy one that had previously accompanied the tears. That look didn't belong there.

"I leaned on you. Remember? You were my best friend, do you remember any of that? Do you remember how I held your hand when you grasped for it?" All of those times that I looked for it, I thought maybe she would know that I didn't really hate her. "Do you remember how I held you when you were falling apart?" Grandma Young's funeral, when my Dad hit me the first time, when my Mom fell apart after she miscarried. "Do you remember every time you needed someone to talk to, someone real?" Of course. "Did it mean one thing to you that I waited for you?" She waited?

"You're engaged..." I whispered. I was on overload, she never gave speeches, she didn't even talk much to begin with so when she said all of that, I knew it was the way she felt. And being that close to her, being so close to knowing what she was feeling was unnerving.

"I broke it off three months ago." Oh sweet Jesus that felt so good. But it didn't last long because a tear slid down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb before I could help it, catching her cheek in my palm. I held it there until she turned away.

"Does anyone else know that?"

"No... Mom and Dad really liked him and I don't w-want to disappoint them anymore." A million questions ran through my mind. Why was she a disappointment? Why did they like him so much?_ Who was he?_ What did he have that I didn't? How could I make her feel better?

"You couldn't disappoint them."

"You haven't been home in a while."

"Tell me about it," I grabbed her tiny hand in mine and lead her to the couch, sitting us both down. She looked reluctant. "Please," I added.

"Well I was supposed to go to New York, I was enrolled at Cornell, and I wanted to be a vet. But I veered into the city once and... didn't go back. I got caught up and went to art school, majored in photography. Dad was so mad. Mom... I don't know, she wasn't happy." She let another tear slide and I fought the urge to wipe it like I did the last one.

"Why would they be mad? They're beautiful, all of them," I said gesturing towards the wall of photos.

"Thank you, it's just... I'm the oldest so they expect me to set the standard and they think I'm just some flaky art goof off now and-" She stopped suddenly and her eyes widened. I started to get concerned but she just smiled knowingly. "You always knew how to make me talk. I hadn't realized that-that I needed to talk about this."

"You see! You see! You need me. And I obviously needed/need you so... You see!" God, I was so eloquent. But I just wanted her to know it, to feel it. And I couldn't find words to do that.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I just - you might have to give me some time. To get back to where I need to be. Is that okay?"

"Anything you need, Lena, anything."

"I think that maybe this could be something really good. I-I've missed you, even when you hated me." It felt good to hear that but it was tainted by the 'even when you hated me' part.

"I'm so sorry. I was stupid and young and you need to know that I've regretted letting this happen to us everyday of my life."

"Well, it's partially my fault; I should've stood up to you and told you how it was."

"I'd like you to do that, actually. Tell me how it is Lena."

"I'm not good at it," she said blushing.

"Come on! Please?" I pulled out the puppy eyes and the lower lip and she relented. I'm just that good.

"Ryan Alec Uley! You are unbelievable! Who do you think I am? Your personal lean-to when you need me. If you want this you're going to work for it!" I stared dumbfounded for a good thirty seconds before I stood to attention and saluted her in true military fashion. She giggled and I did too.

It felt good to be like this with her. It had been so long since we were friends. She was always the one, I don't know how I didn't see that. How could I have not picked up on the fact that every time I had felt down I had run to her? And even though I was a complete and total asshole to her, she always let me in. And she talked to me, or just held my hand and she made me dinner a few times. Either way, she was always the one and I had left her time after time like she was nothing. I had left her like I had known that she as going to take me back every time. Stupid, selfish, arrogant bastard.

I'd do anything, everything, _countless_ things to earn her forgiveness and never let her down again. Eight years worth of hurt wouldn't be fixed in another eight years. It would take a lifetime of countless effort that I was more than willing to give to her, My Lena.


	2. Walls

**A/N: Hiya! Well, this whole uploading thing is becoming quite addictive because I have a lot of stuff finished so I can actually upload whenever I want... which is dangerous. Anyhoo, this is the second one I wrote... I think, all of my writing gets kinda muddled. **

**I disclaim: All Characters that you recognize belong to SM. But I have a few in there and they like to talk to me so please don't steal them :)**

**So this one is about my own character, Cooper Hall (cousin of Jared's) and Leah Clearwater. This is my last couple to imprint... as of right now. That may change but it's been a while since Coop's been back in town. I think I did okay... why don't you give me your input! That'd be very nice :) **

_"In retrospect I wouldn't do it again, stop talking shit to every one of your friends. I'm not the same boy you knew back then." - All Time Low, Walls_

I should have never come home. I really shouldn't have... but Mom was all 'I'll come down there and drag you by the hair' so I packed a bag and drove all the way from sunny, warm, bright, beautiful South California to La Push, Washington. It was snowing. It had been at least four years since I'd even seen snow much less trek through it.

Back to the point. I should've never come back. One Goddamn look and that was it. I exploded into a wolf. _Who does that happen to_? Me, Cooper Andrew Hall, that is who that happens to. And then to top it all off, I imprint... all in the same day. I should've said I had mono... or The Black Plague, maybe. Surely mother wouldn't want me bringing the Black Death to her. She didn't have enough chicken soup to drown that shit.

Right, the point. So who did I _imprint_ on? Leah Fucking-Bitch Clearwater. Mhm. We imprinted on _each-other_. No joke. It was the freakiest thing _ever_. It was like we were on the same wavelength all of a sudden and all I could see was her and all she could see was me. And the whole freaking pack witnessed it; those who weren't there were filled in with excruciating detail through the others' thoughts.

So now all of La Push was in a frenzy... well not _all_, just the ones that matter. I was currently sitting in Emily's kitchen watching as everyone ran around like chicken's with their heads cut off. It would've been quite amusing if I wasn't the one being lectured, fretted over, kissed, hugged, patted on the back, punched in the shoulder, slapped on the leg, given apologetic looks, etc. There were people buzzing about in all different directions like a million bees in the nest.

Emily and most of the imprints of the NIPM's (New Imprinted Pack Members) were cooking because that's what Emily does when she is nervous or at a lack of what to do and the NIPM's follow her around like lost puppies - excuse the pun. There were various kids running about and playing in the many rooms of the small house that, in honesty, was falling victim to shape-shifterism.

The OPM's (Original Pack Members) were sitting at the dining room table (because they get special privileges to sit there, apparently) with their respective imprints: Jared and Kim, Embry and Kayleigh, Seth and Lily, Paul and Rachel, Quil and Claire, the only ones missing were Jake and Renesmee who were galavanting around Spain with the family's zillions. They looked like they were in deep conversation but everyone knew that Jared was setting up a pool on how Sam would react. And they thought that I wasn't paying attention. Jared and Paul thought he was going to 'freak-the-fuck-out' as Paul so eloquently put it; Quil, Rachel, and Kayleigh thought he was going to be okay with it but give a long ass lecture. Seth, Claire, and Lily thought he was going to phase within thirty seconds of hearing; and Kim and Embry had refused to bet, them being good friends of Leah's.

Speaking of, she was sitting up by the cliffs...thinking, I suppose. I let her be but the constant nagging in my naval was starting to get painful. I rose from my chair and everyone stopped like I was the Messiah returning. Yup, it was _that_ big of a deal. I shook my head and every pair of eyes watched me walk out the front door. They were all paranoid because, a: two wolves have never imprinted on each other and, b: a wolf has never printed in their wolf form. So now Leah and I are a phenomenon that needs to be monitored closely. I played along but Leah wasn't having any of it.

I didn't even look where I was going, I just went, the pulling sensation directing my every step. The pressure didn't lighten like it should've, it worsened. I found her sitting on a rock, her knees drawn tightly to her chest. She growled once and it was beautiful.

"I hate you! I never wanted this to happen to me. If you think that I have any intention of being in a relationship with you then you're wrong," Leah seethed at me. I didn't mind though. She was gorgeous with her eyebrows drawn together, her now grown out hair flying around her in the wind. She was crouched, ready to phase. I was confident that she wouldn't but as the conversation wore on, I wasn't so sure anymore. She let another growl rip out of her throat.

"I can help you," I said quietly; even though my voice was lost to the wind she still heard.

"I don't need help! Especially from a newbie." Okay, that stung a little. I kept my poker face though.

"So what? Just because you don't need it doesn't mean I won't give it. Who died and made you the boss of the universe? I have a say in this whether you like it or not." I crossed my arms and tilted my chin up. She started shaking all over. "Who's the newbie now? At least I can hold myself together during an argument. How long have you been a wolf now? Fifteen years _at least_." I knew provoking her was not a good idea at all but I was getting fed up with this stupid game. I loved her. She loved me. I see no problem but apparently she does. What is with women and their undeniable need to complicate things?

She growled again and lunged. I side stepped her and phased too. _Stupid arrogant bastard!_

_Stupid hormonal bitch!_ I thought back as she circled me. She lunged again and I moved to the right, catching her back leg. She fell with a shriek of irritation and was back within seconds, snapping at my neck. She was hella fast but I was bigger.

I watched her as we danced--back and forth, side to side--and her beauty overwhelmed me. Even as a wolf she was amazing. She paused once and I pinned her but she didn't fight. She rifled trough my thoughts quickly.

_You really think that? _

_Of course I do. _I let images of her between the years when I was here and now pass through my mind and concentrated on her beauty and power. It wasn't enough apparently because she was up and snarling again. And then I sensed _fear_. Unbridled, undeniable, nearly tangible _fear_.

_Why are you afraid? _

_Me? Afraid? Uh, no. Did you forget who I am? _

_No one could ever forget you._ That's when the most awful thing happened. I started to remember exactly why I thought she was unforgettable.

_I was drunk, that much was clear. But so was everyone else in my basement. Even Leah. She was sitting in a corner, watching me, watching her. In my semi-foggy haze and the dim lighting all I could see was her. She was gorgeous. Fierce. Breathtaking. And I wanted her. I walked over to her, not sure of what I was going to do, but feeling confident nonetheless. I smiled drunkenly and she smiled back. I knew this was wrong, taking advantage of her situation, I mean. She had just broken off her engagement to Sam Uley and had caught her cousin and him sucking face just hours after. _

_That's why she had come tonight, I think. She needed to get shit-faced and just forget about everything for a little while. I could help her. It was my last night here, anyway; I was moving to California tomorrow. She'd never have to see me again. _

_"Wanna get outta here?" My words slurred a little. _

_"Isn't this your house?" So did hers. _

_"Yeah, but my room upstairs is much nicer than the basement." That was the move, the attack plan. She'd either take it or leave it and I'd go find another girl. She downed whatever was in her cup, shook her head, and grabbed my hand as she walked towards the stairs. I smiled and followed her, taking the lead when we got to the last step. I ushered her into my room and let my young, horny hormones take over. Lust, desire, need. _

_I pushed her forcefully into the door and kissed her hard. She tasted like alcohol but so did I. There were clothes everywhere that needed to be removed and she didn't stop me. She was just as eager to make this happen as I was. We were everywhere, on the bed, on the wall, on the door. She was soft and firm underneath me and it felt just as good as I thought it would. She emanated need and, me having a 'Y' chromosome and all, I had a need to fulfill hers. _

_I collapsed beside her... or what I thought was beside her, but she had already left, clothes and all. That was disappointing; one of my favorite parts of sex was the post-intercourse cuddling... shut up. I fell asleep regardless and didn't worry about all the idiots getting wasted in my basement; my mom wasn't due back home for another week and I'd be gone by tomorrow evening anyway. _

I remembered that night perfectly, her skin, her eyes, her hair, despite my alcohol induced near-coma. All of it. I remember how she nearly cried after we were done. I remember how she left me hanging. I remember playing it off even though it actually really hurt that she didn't stay... not that I blame her. We were eighteen, not exactly virgins but not really experienced, so it probably wasn't mind blowing. But I remembered nonetheless. And now she did too. That was fifteen years ago. She scrambled out from underneath me and put some space in between us.

_I hate you_, she whimpered. That stung a little...no, actually, that stung a lot. _I was young...and drunk. And you...I don't blame you._ That made me feel a thousand times better.

_I'm not the same anymore. It-I don't know what the hell it meant. I was drunk too. I needed some...closure. I didn't mean to-I don't regret it. I don't regret it one bit but..._I'm_ different now. _It's _different now._ _I love you now_. I felt her heart rip in half.

_You don't mean that! _she roared through the pain as images of Sam saying that a million times, a thousand different ways, for a hundred different reasons that never meant anything anyway.

_Give me a chance. I'm not the same anymore. You're not the same anymore. _I was using my best coercion skills to just make her give me a shot. Just one second of hesitation was all I needed. It didn't matter how much she was in love with me because of the imprint, a lot of her was still broken. I didn't know if it was only detectable by me because I imprinted on her or if it was obvious. Either way, she was hurting. And now my need to take care of her wasn't just a male thing. It was a primal, primitive, instinctive need that ran deep within me. She could feel it. She didn't want to like it, she wanted to hate it-that need, I mean. She wanted to hate _me_. But she couldn't.

I walked over to her, no longer challenging. Just being next to her.

_You don't have to be alone anymore. You don't have to do this alone anymore. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. You can hear me. You can see through my head; you know I'm telling the truth_. Her thoughts stopped buzzing for a few minutes as she mulled over my words. The pain eased a little with every thought of '_he's right, he loves me. He can't abandon me now._'

_It's not like there's any use fighting it anymore_, she thought defeatedly, finally. A weight was lifted from both of our shoulders. We were undeniably connected. There was an electric current, a steel bridge between us now. She felt it too.

I phased back and grabbed my clothes, changing quickly beside her. She whined softly and, with a glance to her shredded clothes, I threw my tee-shirt towards her. She phased and changed too. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, being more of a friend and a confidant than a lover. Her knee-jerk reaction was to pull away but she leaned in after I made it clear that I wasn't letting her go.

"It's going to be okay, you know that right?"

"I don't know anything anymore."

"I do. I know that it's going to be okay. I am no longer going to be galavanting around with twenty-year-old dumb-as-sacks blondes in beautiful, sunny, warm California and you are no longer going to be a bitter, unhappy, bitch. Because now we have each other, and we're stuck with each other, whether you like that or not." That's just the way it was going to go.

"Yeah, I'm tired of that; it was getting old."

"Agreed. Now, why don't we go to your house, get changed, and go get Thai food. Methinks that noodles can remedy any situation."

"...I don't think we have a thai restaurant nearby. We don't exactly eat that type of stuff around here, if you remember." The bite in her words was gone.

"So we'll find one. Let's go to Miami or somewhere sunny without vampires. I'm already sick of this shit. I need a vacation."

"Try doing it for sixteen years," she laughed.

"Nope, I don't think I will. Like I said, Miami...or Mexico. Cancun sounds good."

"Yeah, okay." She was tired. She was tired of being hurt, of being rejected, of being hard as nails on the outside and completely broken on the inside, of having a fifteen-year-long migraine. I was tired of having my head in the clouds, of trying to fill some stupid void or need for warmth and sun, of having nothing to anchor me to this earth. It felt like sometimes I would just float away and I don't think I'll ever feel that again, now that I have her and she has me.

We both had something constant now. Something to keep us together and _happy_. I thought those sexcapades, those drunken frat parties, those loud late night concerts were keeping me happy. They weren't. I know what keeps me happy now. And that's Leah.


	3. Hey Jude

**Hey there guys! I wrote this one a couple of months ago. It's not actually an imprinting story, per se. But it is one of my favorite wolves and this is one of my favorite pairs. **

**Here's a little info, you should probably read it before you start the story: **

**Luke: Loves to surf, go to the beach, and run in the rain. Youngest of the Rivers (Paul and Rachel). Favorite color is turquoise - it reminds him of the ocean and is a generally calming color. He's more about actions than words but can make great conversation when he wants to. He loves to run and his all time favorite game is Hide and Go Seek. Favorite song is Hey Jude because it reminds him of his struggle with Cali; her being the only thing that he really had strong emotions and passion for. **

**Cali: Loves Thai food, shopping (not in the normal way, however. She likes to people watch), cooking and Luke. Youngest of the Taylors (Kim and Jared). She's named after where she was born (California) and it's her favorite place to be. Favorite color is lime green - it just makes her feel happy and light; it's a summer color and it reminds her of Luke's favorite board shorts. She's not a very social person, like Luke, and they usually end up together because they're in the same age group and the youngest of their respective families who are very close. **

**PS: Most of these characters are mine, but the ones that you recognize are SM's. No stealing, please. **

So, without further au du, Lucas Alexander Rivers and Cali Brianne Taylor

_"Hey Jude, don't let me down. You have found her, now go and get her. Remember to let her into your heart. Then you can start to make it better." -The Beatles, Hey Jude _

I loved the way her neck moved; she was just so greaceful. She had the nicest eyes. You kinda just wanted to stare into them to see all of them but you couldn't do that because then you looked weird. She dressed differently. She only wore dresses and skirts... well, mostly. Not tight or revealing ones, just pretty colored and flowy ones. She hated the color black, she never wore it. Wait, that's a lie. She only wore it during the winter, as shoes, or at a funeral. She loved the color green and she looks beautiful when she wears it. I like the way she makes faces at people when they do stupid things, even though they can't see her. I love how I'm the only one that really sees her.

She was sitting on the beach with little Sienna in an a lavender dress with small dark purple flowers all over the front. It was a little chilly so she had a white sweater around her and little white shoes to match. She was teaching Sienna to count using sea shells and I couldn't help but think that if we had children, would that be the way she would teach them? We would have nice children... Maybe a girl and a boy; that would be nice. Little ones running around... I was getting ahead of myself. I didn't deserve her. She was just so... perfect and I was... flawed, to put it lightly. And then there was imprinting, if I would ever - if we were to - I didn't want to hurt her. She was off limits, as far as that was concerned. She was off limits in every other way too. Out of my league, out of my element.

I loved her, that much was easy to figure out. There was no other way to explain the way I felt around her. Light headed, dizzy, unable to make coherent thoughts, etc. But there was nothing I could do about it. That always brought me down so I paddled back to shore and shook the feeling quickly. She smiled when I walked over to her and Sienna, all wrapped up in the seashells and counting. I smiled back and she held out her hand to be lifted up. I gripped it and lifted her gently. I wanted to rip her up and against me but that didn't seem to be appropriate. She grabbed Sienna's hand and lifted her like I had done her and we walked down First Beach towards home. I grabbed Sienna's other hand and swung her lightly so that she was suspended between us for a step. She giggled and Cali helped this time. We swung her like a doll between us until Sienna's arms were going to fall off. We dropped her back at the Call house and retreated towards home.

I wanted to grab her hand but I distracted myself by lifting my board atop my head instead and keeping my hands away from he. She looked over to me briefly and smiled.

"Having trouble carrying your board, big strong wolf-man?"_ Big. Strong. Wolf-man_. Those words were no good for my imagination, my nether regions, nor my ego.

"Uh, no. Just... I don't know." Wow. _So_ eloquent.

"I get it." And that was why I loved her, she always knew what to say. I smiled a little and started to jog ahead of her. She jogged faster and soon we were racing down Adler, her heels clicking along the cracked pavement, and turning onto the worn path that led to Uncle Jared and Aunt Kim's house. She was ahead of me but she slowed down, breathing a little hard. I slowed too and soon we were walking again.

"I hate running," she mock glared at me.

"I know." I smirked and kept walking.

"But I'm competitive."

"I know." I know a lot about you.

"I hate you werewolves, I can never beat you at anything except for, like, scattegories."

"I know. You are a very good scattegories player."

"The best in La Push."

"I know." We reached the big white house and I set my board next to Jason's, Aiden's, and what looked to be Sammy's. The big blue jeep was missing though, so I knew they weren't home. We walked into the kitchen and she poured a glass of raspberry iced tea. I hated raspberry iced tea and she knew that so she threw me a pomegranate juice from the fridge that the Taylor's kept in stock especially for me.

"Thanks."

"I hate that stuff," she said a little disgustedly as she eyed the bottle of dark juice.

"I hate raspberry iced tea." she contemplated that for a few seconds before she answered back.

"I like pad thai." She said, directing the conversation to something that was positive.

"Good idea." Since there were no Thai places in La Push, Cali herself had decided to learn how to make her very own traditional Thai food. And she was damn good at it. She flitted around the kitchen, soaking noodles, frying peanuts, boiling shrimp. She was a really good chef and I knew that's what she was going to do when she grew up. She was just so good at it.

I helped her stir all of the ingredients, staring at her from the corner of my eye as she quickly scrambled an egg. I wondered if I kissed her what she would do. Because that's what I wanted to do right now. She was just too tantalizing with that adorable white apron with flowers all over it and a dishrag thrown over her shoulder, her hair tied up and a headband securely in place, her little tongue slipping between her lips as she concentrated. She was beautiful in the afternoon kitchen, her little white shoes making that clicking sound across the hard wood floor as she skipped between the bowl I was stirring and the stove.

I excused myself to the bathroom and tried to get myself under control. I could hear her heartbeat, I could smell her fresh raspberry/lime scent that often was the cause of a very cold shower, I could feel her pulse through me. I breathed deeply and splashed my face with cold water, trying to cool myself down. I walked back through the den and grabbed a shirt that was thrown across the couch and slipped it on. It smelled like Jason but I felt the need to be... better? Maybe that was the word. But I just felt like I needed to act different, actually get dressed for dinner.

When I got back into the kitchen she had the pad thai on plates and everything set on the table. I slipped into my chair and we began eating. I smiled as I took the first bite, nothing better than Cali Pad Thai. She looked up and asked me what I was smiling at.

"It's really good, but what else is new?" She just smiled and roller her eyes.

"It's pad thai, Luke. Anyone could do it." I couldn't. And no one could do it as well as you do.

"I know, but I just like the way you do it," I tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal but I lived for the things that she did, including pad thai. We ate in silence for a few minutes while I cleared away nearly four servings to her one. Once she was done, she sat back in her chair and played with a bracelet I got her when I was in Mexico last year and my pride swelled a little. I stretched a little and collapsed back into my chair when I was done, content to just sit here and watch her for a few minutes.

"You have something on your shirt," she said as she leaned close and grabbed the color of my shirt. She wiped away whatever it was and paused for a second. Her fingers brushed the skin of my neck and her heart sped up. Mine did too. She leant back slowly and I grabbed onto her arm, pulling her back towards me. Maybe it was the way her skin just felt so nice against mine, or maybe the way he heart rate had sped up, or maybe it was her intoxicating smell but whatever it was, it was giving me some guts and something that I couldn't resist. I took one look at her, caught her 'deer-in-the-headlights-look' and kissed her. I didn't _crush my lips to her, I didn't gently sweep ours together_. Nope. I just kissed her. And I kissed her for a second before she kissed me back and then we were really kissing and it was the most amazing feeling I've ever experienced.

I pulled back once the rational side of me had caught up with the not-so-rational side after he had taken off like a bat out of hell when he saw his opportunity. I didn't really know what to say. Maybe an apology?

"I'm - I'm sorry... I just couldn't..." _help it._ I couldn't help it.

"Do it again."_ Excuse me?_ I had expected... I don't know. Not that decisive, convicted tone, that's for sure.

"Really?" I needed to make sure.

"Yeah." I didn't get the chance to because she had taken the lead and then she was halfway in my lap and she smelled really good and all I wanted to for the rest of my life was just sit here and kiss her. She moved her hands to my face and dragged her perfectly manicured nails along my scalp lightly. Now _that_, felt amazing.

But I couldn't sit here forever and kiss her when there was the threat of imprinting haunting my every step.

"Imprint," I whispered softly against her lips.

"Don't worry about that right now; whatever happens... happens." And then she kissed me again. I wanted to wrap my self in this thing that we had. I wanted to build on in and take it to forever and never let go of it. I let her in and she brought me out and we met somewhere in the middle and now it was perfect to sit here in the kitchen and kiss her like I was born for it.

I felt like I was at home; that's how I knew that everything would be okay. This was home, this was where I belonged and I liked it that way. I fell in love and there was no going back now. Because the way that Cali was kissing me right now was making me want to not worry about it. So I didn't and ran my hands over her face and memorized her cheeks with my thumbs, threading my fingers through her hair. And I kissed her until I was just satisfied with having her near me. Near me like this.

**A little abrupt and a little too forward but that's just the way my Lukey does things :) Reveiw? Thanks! **


End file.
